10 Seriously Weird Horror Movies That Deserve Your Attention

By Andy Murray / March 6, 2020

5. Begotten

There are abstract horrors like It Comes at Night, and there are all-out gore fests like Blood Feast. And then there’s Begotten, a vile, stomach-churning, and surreal arthouse project by Edmund E. Merhige.

Originally intended as a theatre production but changed to film for budgetary reasons, Begotten is a metaphor for the death of God and birth of Mother Earth based on various creation myths. With Merhige citing The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Seven Samurai as sources of inspiration alongside the works of Artaud and Nietzsche, Begotten certainly has a unique presence.

Shot entirely in grainy black and white and with no dialogue whatsoever on top of its excessive violence, this film is hard to watch on every level.